Button...Button....Who Has All The Buttons!!

What is there that’s not fun about pawing through a big tin or box of buttons?  I truly love old buttons! They can be creative works of art 

or simply very utilitarian.  There is something about a jar of old buttons that is fascinating.  A jar full of plain black buttons can be just as interesting as a multicolored one.   There are probably more plain black buttons in one jar than could be used in a lifetime, BUT, buttons were valuable and you just did not throw them away.  In fact, if the garment was no longer useful, the buttons were cut off and added to the button box.  This is why you see so many with little tufts of fabric still sewed to the back.  A typical vintage button box would contain wood, Celluloid, Bakelite, pearl, shell, glass, plastic, or bone buttons.    Buttons that used to hold a warm wool coat closed or decorated the elegant cuff of a dress or blouse.  I love the little pearl buttons that were used for baby clothes!  They are so tiny!  There are button collecting clubs out there as well as a National Button Society so that tells you there are a lot of serious collectors out there!  For me, it’s about the beautiful color and artistry of buttons.  You get into the Czech glass buttons with all their

facets and colors and you can get mesmerized!  Well, we have buttons!  Buttons still on their cards, buttons in old jars, buttons in cello bags, or just pick through a box of buttons and choose your favorites one at a time.   Buttons are not just for clothing anymore.  There are some serious crafter's out there making beautiful jewelry and other creations from buttons (old and new).  Stop in and check out our buttons!

Grab a little bag and pick them out one at a time........

...........or buy them by the bag

                

               ....or by the color!!

                               

Quilts; A Legacy of Warmth

October 14th - 23rd will be the 44th Annual Quilt Show at the Aurora Colony Museum.  It celebrates the 160th anniversary of the founding of the Aurora Colony.  The legacy of the founding of a town dovetails with the legacy left by our ancestors in the quilts they provided for us.  Those old quilts are still warming our bodies and our souls today!  Pieced or patchwork quilts, crazy quilts, tied quilts, appliqued quilts, etc., it does not really matter.  What matters is the community of women working together to provide comfort for their families while still doing it with such style and artistry! Nothing was ever wasted.  If a shirt or skirt wore out and could not be cut down for another family member, it went into the stash of fabrics that would be cut and used in a quilt.  Muslin fabric from flour sacks, calico, muslin yardage; just about anything that could be sewn into a quilt was.  Quilt patterns number in the 10's of thousands.  Some were regional, some were passed down from generation to generation.  Pattern's were shared among women all over the country; mailed back and forth and, sometimes, called by names that were used for several different patterns.  It could be quite confusing!  Names like Grandmother's Flower Garden, Goose Tracks, Nine Patch, and Morning Star leave you imagining just what that pattern might look like!  It was the act of gathering together as a community of women and working on these projects that gave them a social outlet.  Something we

take for granted these days with our communication coming in the speed of light.  These gatherings would be an opportunity to share what was going on in their lives and the lives of their families.  They did not have the Internet to pass this information along!   Little did they know, that generations later, women would still be collecting and sharing quilt patterns, gathering together as a community and working on projects and keeping their families warm with these wonderful works of art.  Take time to visit the annual quilt show then stop by South End Antique Mall and check out the collection of vintage and contemporary quilts sprinkled throughout the mall.  If you are lucky enough to have one of these treasures that has been passed down to you, take time to do a little research on the pattern.  Look at how it was constructed and just enjoy the artistry used to create your own work of art!

Jadeite Green Envy!

Are you familiar with that soft green glassware called "Jadeite"?  I remember many pieces of this in my grandmother's kitchen (and I am now a great grandmother so that says a lot!).   I am truly in love with the soft green shade and the wide variety of pieces made.  Jadeite was "born" in the 1930's.  It was first created by the McKee Glass Co.  This was not long after the depression and this glassware was marketed to the public as an alternative to the more expensive earthenware dishes.  Anchor Hocking, Fire King and Jeanette Glass soon followed suit with their own patterns.  The name "Jadeite" has been spelled so many different ways!  Jade-ite, Jad-ite, Jade Glass, Jadite, etc.  There was probably a lull in its popularity until Martha Stewart re-introduced all of us to Jadeite through her own personal collection.  She had cupboards of it on display during both her TV shows and her magazine spreads.  This prompted a few glass makers like Fenton and L.E. Smith

to create reproductions of this glassware in the 2000's.  Many collectors like to mix the contemporary with the vintage but you will always have the purists who only want the vintage.  How do you tell the difference?  It is not easy!  Many of the vintage pieces were not marked.  You need a good reference book to help you identify patterns and designs.  It may be a whole lot easier just to say you love the Jadeite color and collect it for its color value and not its vintage value!  Whatever you decide to collect, don't just close it in a cupboard and not use it.  It's just to pretty not to display on shelves and open cupboards!  Using vintage printed linens along with your Jadeite dishes will make a beautiful and inviting table setting!   They are getting harder to find so if you see a piece somewhere, don't hesitate to start a collection or add to your existing one!

Hard Working Toys!!

There is a certain nostalgia to collecting those things we are familiar with or have grown up with.  It can be a favorite TV or movie character, special dolls, or those things that we were around day in and day out.  Farm equipment would fit into that last category!  If you lived on a farm, you were always around tractors, plows, farm trucks, etc.  They were part of your everyday life.  This is probably where you first learned to drive!  I will never forget taking my grandson to the Clackamas County Fair when he was about 5 (he is now 22) and he immediately gravitated to the display of tractors.  They were big and powerful and fascinating!  What does someone do with a life long

collection of these special vehicles when they are out of room for them???  Turn them loose to bring future collectors pleasure!  That is the case with a wonderful collection of farm equipment and other vehicles currently filling a display at South End Antique Mall. Hundreds of pieces that have been collected for many years are now ready to find new homes.  John Deere, Case, International, etc., are all present.  There is actually a lot of artistry that goes into making these little "toys".  Great pains are taken to give you all the detail you would find in a full size piece of equipment!  Take time to come browse through this collection and see if you find something that takes you back to your own childhood!  Here is a little "sneak peek" at the fall decor that is currently arriving at the Mall!  Not too soon to plan your fall seasonal decorations!